High-end UK fishmonger debuts British tilapia

UK tilapia producer The Fish Co. on Wednesday announced that upscale fishmonger James Knight of Mayfair is now stocking its British tilapia, raised on farms in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

James Knight sales director Natalie Hudd said the new listing is in line with the fishmonger’s ethos of selling high quality, sustainably sourced fish.

“Tilapia is a great sustainable alternative — rated 1 by the Marine Conservation Society which indicates it is one of the most sustainably produced seafood products,” said Hudd.

“The fact that The Fish Co. uses a closed recirculation system avoids the issues often raised in the farming of fish such as negative environmental impact, fish escaping or pollution,” she added. “In addition to this, the fact that the fish are omnivores means that they can be fed on a diet that is reliant on a very tiny percentage of fish meal and fish oil compared to other farmed fish. This all makes tilapia a great sustainable choice, and even more so when you take into account that it is a British farmed product, which means reduced food miles.”

Hudd is confident that the product will soon be a favorite with British chefs and consumers.

“Tilapia appears in the top five most-popular fish in the United States, but until recently has proved less popular in the United Kingdom,” she said. “However, with chefs such Pascal Proyart at the One-O-One restaurant adding it to the range offered in his new sustainable fish menu, and Steve Munkley at the Royal Garden Hotel adding the fish to his main restaurant offering, we hope UK consumers will start to choose tilapia as a great sustainable alternative.”

The Fish Co.’s tilapia is fed on 100 percent genetically modified-free sustainable feed. The firm’s Adrian Hartley said there is a “definite increase” in the interest in its product because of both its environmental credentials and its versatility.

“From the beginning we set out to produce tilapia that was farmed to the highest ethical and environmental standards and are therefore delighted that a fishmonger of James Knight’s reputation is now stocking British tilapia from our farms,” said Hartley.

Subscribe

Want seafood news sent to your inbox?

You may unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time. Diversified Communications | 121 Free Street, Portland, ME 04101 | +1 207-842-5500
None